A PREVIOUS FEATURED VOLUNTEER.

Name: Christina (Chris) Reese

Family: Husband and two sons

Work: She is the owner of the Reese Pine Tree Farm, which sells landscape and Christmas trees.

Interests/Hobbies: “Animals and outdoors (but not in the winter!) Training my dog.”

Number of years @ NN: 1 year 7 months

Number of volunteer hours: Over 900

Duties: You name it! Chris primarily works as a day keeper. That includes cleaning cages, feeding animals, and documenting their progress. She transports animals, fosters baby animals, and will even answer the phone (even though she doesn't like to!)

Why she likes volunteering at NN: "Due to the staff. Volunteering is not work when you learn so much and have fun doing it. You learn something new all the time. It is gratifying to care for an animal that you would normally only see at a distance. No matter what your talent, there is always a need for you. Everyone is treated with the highest regard."

Memorable moment/Funny story: “On a call to rescue and transport a Great Horned Owl, as I was placing it into the carrier I realized it had a real good grip on my glove. I was parked on the side of a busy highway, on my knees, with my hand inside this carrier…and people were beginning to look. Remembering my transporter training class, I know this owl is not going to let go until it is good and ready. Now I begin to wonder how long I am going to be stuck here like this! I did finally come up with the idea, and was able to wiggle my hand out of the glove.”

NN Comments: Chris always goes the extra mile. Cages aren’t just cleaned…they sparkle! Charts aren’t simply filled out…she really takes the time to see how each of the animals is doing. She also sees things that need fixing, and just does it. (I caught her taking the sink & drain apart one day because it was draining slowly.) Chris even brings in her own vacuum cleaner to do a more thorough job of cleaning the office each week when she comes in. When Chris comes in for the day, she really means it. She is never in a rush to get her work done. On top of all that, she is a pleasure to work with. I personally feel very fortunate to work with her and hope we can always keep her interested and happy.